PodMen From My Turtle Pond

These PodMen should look familiar to you, you've seen them before. But now you get a chance to see the pods at the Turtle Pond where I collect them once they fall on the ground. You can actually buy pods like these at Michaels but I refuse to pay money for something I can pick up off the ground. I'm currently working on another PodMan.

My Turtle Pond

On Sundays my bike ride often takes me to the Turtle Pond on the University campus. It's sort of hidden away behind the Main Building and next to an old greenhouse. This is where I visit my turtle friends (they are shy and not too good at shooting the bull so we get along fine) and collect dried-up plant pods. At 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning I usually have the Pond to myself, especially when there was a football game the night before.

It's been a very long, hot summer this year and we're still considered to be in an "exceptional drought" condition, even though we finally got rain last week. The video below is definitely music to our ears and sounds much like the $39 white noise sound machine Susan bought.

Even the cactus plants are happy to have had some rain.

Little Feet

The baby shoes came from garage/estate sales. I'm working on making little ceramic feet in shoes, little feet that have walked a long hard road. In the past I've made little boot shoes (see below) but I'm hoping to have a whole body and head develop for these feet. If I'm lucky, once I get the feet right the rest will be easier. This is probably the opposite of people who work real hard on the face and head and then go for the rest of the body.

Mr. Kleenex

It's the Walking Wounded at our house. I'm still on pain pills for the root canal work I had done (2 sessions with a crown going on in 2 weeks). Susan is suffering from a nasty cold that has slammed her in the nose (dripping), throat (sore) and chest (coughing a lot). She'd like to claim it as the flu but because she doesn't have a fever or aches she has to deal with the indignity of just having something ordinary. We know that if you do nothing to treat the common cold it will take 7 days to go away. If you go to the doctor and ask for something to treat it you will recover in a week.

Her sister suggested something called a netti pot which, after hearing the description, Susan shot down immediately as it sounded too much like waterboarding.

Instead, Susan just uses Mr. Kleenex. A LOT.

Late update, due to email questions: Find Mr. Kleenex (aka "Rudy") here (or probably lots of other places), Susan painted him for some forgotten reason.

In the interest of keeping this post art-related we've included a picture of me tearing apart our old air-conditioning unit that was replaced last month and a picture of one piece salvaged from it. More pictures of the cool parts to appear in the future (when the Blog Wrangler gets around to it). And just to go full circle, the cost of replacing a 2-ton air conditioning/heater unit will probably wind up being about the same as all the dental bills I'm amassing.

Late update: Click here to see Yours Truly on the local news last night. Hold your applause, please. Ignore the opening obtrusive commercial and watch for me at :35 and :59 into the clip.

Angst

As I experience the joys of a root canal I am somehow reminded of one of my favorite artists, Philip Guston.

Incredible Talent: Kseniya Simonova

Thanks to Katie Kendrick for this YouTube video:

I'm amazed at how graceful her hands are, especially when she's using both hands at the same time. She may have done those same pictures a thousand times but when she throws the sand back down she's giving herself a new challenge each time. At first I was confused about the people in the audience crying but a little research gave me the info that she was depicting events about Germany conquering the Ukraine during WW II.

I never cease to be amazed at how creative people are all over the world.

We Remember

On 09/11/2001 there were three attacks made on America, including the Pentagon, where we lost a family member. The memorial at the Pentagon was dedicated on 09/11/2008. As of this date, no memorial in Pennsylvania or New York City has been built.

The United States government did not pay for the building of the Pentagon Memorial. The Pentagon Memorial Fund was founded by family members of the 184 men, women and children lost at the Pentagon on 9/11. It is a non-profit, tax-deductible organization. The Fund was created to raise the private funds necessary to design, build and maintain the Pentagon Memorial.

Garden Goddesses

Evelyn, Martha and Doris have all gone off to the gallery. I was sad to see them go but sometimes you just have to stop having emotional attachments to your creations. And letting them go motivates me to create more.

That's Evelyn in the front. I wanted to name the piece Everett and tell you his expression would show you what it means to have to please two women at once. Susan is my Blog Wrangler and my photo-onto-computer person so she has power. I got "The Look" as she typed in "Evelyn". Not Everett.

Susan And The Doctor's Office (and Updates)

Susan speaks: It's been 16 months. I couldn't stall it any longer so I went. (Final score: Passed.) Doctor: "Slide down, please." ??? Excuse me, I'm paying -- you slide up.

Is this related in any way whatsoever to art? Yes. If I hadn't been so busy sketching I would have unrolled some of the exam table paper. Good paper. Free paper! What could they do if they found out I'd unrolled a lot of paper? Tell me to put it back? Next year, while I'm sitting there in that too-small paper dress. . . .

Update #1: The first and third pictures (front and back) of the Renner Books post are of Don's book (darker spine).

Update #2: Thanks for all the camera tips, both in Comments and in email. Unfortunately, most advice applied to SLR cameras and this is just a basic point-and-shoot camera, with a number of options just not possible -- for example, there are only two f-stops, both pre-set and unchangeable. The sensor is relatively small.

The distortion is called "barrel" effect or "pincushion" and it is fixable in Photoshop Elements 2.0 by using the Spherize and/or Pinch filter, which is how I tweaked the Renner book photos. Distort/Skew/Perspective actually can distort too much if you aren't careful. But none of the options do a perfect job and I hate to have to tweak every picture. The advice that seems to be working is this: Stand way back, as far as possible, from the object and zoom in to take the picture. A tripod is recommended. So instead of putting objects on a table and standing over them to take pictures, I'll be putting them on the floor. We'll see.

I have to keep reminding myself we bought the little point-and-shoot because I wanted just that: a little camera to snap quick pictures, no need to worry about a lens or any settings (although it does have a number of Scene options and ISO settings). And it was the best fit in my clumsy hands.

A New Squadron

Here's the latest squadron. Some of them have gone to the gallery and some didn't get invited. Some had disaster hit them in the kiln so they had to spend some time at the Ear Hospital before they got to go to the gallery.


I wasn't crazy about having to send them to the Ear Hospital but they kept talking to me! They kept insisting they could be fixed, so Dr. Don, assisted by Nurse E6000, performed restorative surgery

One especially nice piece, Pavel, had an Ear Hat. Susan kept saying, "He cannot go to the gallery, someone will pick him up and his Ear Hat will fall off and break." Of course I insisted it wouldn't be a problem. Of course I picked him up to go to the gallery and his Ear Hat fell off and broke. Susan felt sorry for him because he had to stay home so she found some brilliant ideas to spring out of his head, and he feels better now.

Renner Books

Susan and I took Lisa Renner's A Waxed and Painterly Book class at Art Unraveled. Any class Lisa teaches is a sure thing - she provides everything you need, runs the class at a fast pace and troubleshoots continually. We've both taken her classes before and we've yet to see her flummoxed by anything. It doesn't make any difference to me that I don't care about making a book, it's the creative environment Lisa sets up that makes the difference.

Susan and I sat next to each other in this class, not because we were insecure and are joined at the hip, but because we were sharing our wax block and had an extra heat gun at our table, just in case. We work well together by staying focused on our own work and then asking each other's advice. Susan's advice is always something concrete, as in "Trying using this piece of red", while my advice usually is "Hmmm. Needs.... something."

Our books look similar because we didn't bother to switch away from Lisa's offered face print and we both used the same stamps, which we didn't realize until we were almost finished. After all, it's the process, not the final product, that's important. Which book is Susan's and which book is mine? What do you think?



Susan speaks: I'm starting to hate my new camera. Yes, the resolution is better due to lots more mega-whatevers, but the camera gives excessive "barrel" distortion to any shots closer than 6', regardless of the setting (see photos above). Even Photoshop tweaking doesn't get rid of it all. Aaarrrgh!

Phoenix, Miscellaneous

This ceramic sculpture is by Sergie Isupov and we were fortunate enough to find time while we were in Phoenix to see an exhibit of his work. When I think of my work and of his work I am fully aware we are in different stratospheres in terms of technical ability. I can only dream.

It was the first week in August when we were in Phoenix and it was hot. Very hot. Oh, but it was dry heat. As if that matters.

At one rest stop on the way into Phoenix we encountered the vicious wildlife shown in the short video above. Susan followed this guy around with her camera, right up to the door of the men's room where he tried to hide. Obviously he wasn't too crazy about papparazzi. As usual, Susan talked to everyone there at the rest stop so that's how we found out this was a kangaroo rat, named that because he looks like a kangaroo when he hops away.

On The Road To Phoenix

Think back to the 1800's when settlers in America were pushing west, walking along side their wagons pulled by oxen or riding on horseback. This was what they saw:

It's a very jerky video because we were going nearly 80 miles an hour (the legal speed limit). At about 22 seconds into the video you'll see a tall signpost with a small green image with white on it - 334. At about 1:07 into the video you'll see another one - 333. That means we are 333 miles away from the state border of Texas. The mile markers start at 830 on the east state line along Louisiana and count down to 0 at New Mexico. In the background you can hear faintly the music we are listening to, which at this point happens to be La Vie en Rose from Christine Albert's Texafrance album.

People think we are crazy for driving to Phoenix because it's one whole day just to get out of the state and then a second day to get into Phoenix (and the road from Tucson into Phoenix is baaaad). But we love the drive through Texas. It isn't really boring because at 80 mph the scenery changes fast, from Hill Country to mountains. Yes, Texas has mountains, the picture above is Tit Mountain, which I am sure has another name but that's what I call it. I also love the drive because I can let Susan drive and take a nap and not have to listen to her curse at other drivers. Other drivers? We like to see how long a time span we can go when we can't see any cars in front of us and no cars in our rear view mirror. Try doing that on IH 95 on the east coast!

If I look carefully I swear I can see Gene Autry and Roy Rodgers riding off in the distance, chasing the train robbers and worrying about Indians. John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood are somewhere out there too.

The one bad thing about the road trip is finding a place to stop and pee. Even if you are of the gender that has "outdoor plumbing" it isn't simple - you can't just pull off the side of the road because it isn't allowed unless it's an emergency, which a bladder usually isn't, despite Susan's arguments. Texas has some of the worst rest stops in America. They put interesting mosaics in them but the quality is dubious because they are open-air ventilated. In defense of TexDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) it's probably pretty hard to find someone to drive 103 miles into the desert to service a rest stop.

I'm not sure if I'd want to be taking a small poodle for a walk around this New Mexico rest stop.

Amun

Amun is almost life-size and is supposed to be mounted on a base. That didn't happen because I've decided I'm not that interested in making realistic looking heads. But I do like the colors in his head wrap and plan to try to do more pieces with those colors.

The Best Skeleton Ever

Check back here to see what Susan gave me for Christmas last year. He now sits on a bench in our living room with a fake crow on his shoulder. He is the best present ever and now he can be yours! Susan has advised me she just got the catalog with Ray in it and he can be yours for $79 + shipping. Nope, we aren't affiliated with Grandin Road, we just get their catalogs because they have cool stuff. And if you are a Halloween fan, THIS is the catalog for you (do a search on the word "skeleton"). If you plan on getting one, order it early because last year they ran out quickly. Be advised, it's a cool gift anytime of year.

Susan wanted to get another one because she thought Ray needed a girlfriend but I said no, one child is enough. Neither of us has any idea why Martha Stewart thought she needed to crap up her skeleton with glitter. Bones are beautiful just as they are.

A Necklace

I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how I want to make a jewelry piece. Later, when I'm working I tell Susan not to come in the room, which is hard for her because that's where all her stuff is and where Pandora is playing. So I remind her that Calder made jewelry for his wife, Louisa, and to stay out.

When I'm finished with the piece I have a One-Man Show and she gets to see it. All the pieces I've made are tacked up on a bulletin board for her to admire because she doesn't actually wear jewelry except for her watch, wedding ring, and sometimes earrings.

The watch gear spins and is in a tiny little hole I drilled after learning the technique from Keith LoBue. The face is a resin-filled bezel that I learned how to do in a class with Susan Lenart Kazmer. The base of the piece is etched nickle/silver that I learned how to do in a class with Stephanie Lee. Notice this: Women tell me what to do and I do it. Sometimes.

Sketching

Awhile back Susan gave me a sketchbook she made. It was nice to have a sturdy "manly" looking sketchbook. I've actually done a number of sketches in it as I planned some clay pieces and some jewelry pieces. She suggested I try some color and gave me some cheap watercolors, just like that plastic box you had you had in grade school. After seeing the 1000 Journals documentary I was more open to using other media into the sketchbook. I don't know if I'll ever make these clay pieces but I liked adding the color to the sketches.

1000 Journals and Someguy

We were in Phoenix earlier this month and were fortunate to attend a screening of the documentary 1000 Journals. Even better than that, Someguy, the Project Creator, was there and did a Q-and-A after the screening. Even better than that, he signed his book (click here) for people. AND, even better than that, he brought some of the Journals with him and we got to put stuff in them! Actually, Susan did all the writing and even added a small sticker photo of us (the one in the blog from our anniversary) and also a sticker of a graffiti hand.

How could he bring journals for us to put stuff in? Easy - he's received some back and they weren't totally filled in, some blank pages were still waiting for their words and images. Which one did Susan write in? We have no idea because the line of people behind us waiting for their turn was getting restless so she surrendered the Journal in a hurry.

How many Journals went out into the world? 1000. How many have come back to him? Around 30, but over 235 of them have pages that have been scanned and uploaded (click here) so he knows they are "active". What is Someguy like? A nice, easy-going, gentle soul. What does he look like? Here's your chance to see:

Inessa

This is Petya's sister, Inessa. If you are wondering where the names come from here's your answer: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. It's a book I read this summer and to keep track of the characters I write names down. Sometimes I write down minor characters' names just because they sound neat. Then I have a list of names to use for my people I make.

Both Petra and Inessa are about 20 inches tall. The picture below shows her back.

Again, Susan claimed these pieces and attacked them with her stencils and spray paint.

Pingo

Pingo is one of my favorites. The photos below show his creation: 1) shaped piece, 2) underglazes applied, 3) underglazes wiped down and clear glaze (pink) applied in the last step before firing.